Melt away the winter blues by treating your hair with a little TLC! Spoil your strands and scalp with these easy tricks to maintain and protect your gorgeous main from the potential havoc of the winter season.
1. Using a deep conditioner once a week is especially beneficial throughout the winter months. If you have coarse or curly hair, you might try substituting your regular conditioner for a more intense one on a regular basis. If you have fine hair and don't want your every day style to be weighed down, apply the deep conditioner at night, sleep in it, and lightly shampoo it out in the morning. Towel dry well and air dry for a bit before you apply if you are going to spend the night with conditioner to avoid a runny mess all over your pillow! Another trick is to wrap your head in plastic cling film wrap and let the heat from your scalp warm it up. The conditioner will absorb better, thereby enhancing the results.

2. Get a haircut! Trimming is always recommended to maintain healthy hair, but this winter, why not consider taking some extra length off? This is the perfect time of year to try a shorter length for several reasons. One is that since most people don't want to leave the house with a wet head, your drying time in the morning will be significantly reduced. Another plus is avoiding the inevitable tangled nest that forms in the back of your head after wearing a scarf, hat, sweater, and coat. Also, the colder months are when you will be craving a ponytail less and less, so it's a perfect opportunity to cut off the damage in your lengths and have plenty of time for it to grow back healthy and long enough to put up for summer.

3. Brush carefully! Take care not to break your hair whilst detangling by using a bit of leave-in conditioner or a detangling spray when wet. Also, brushing hair out several times during the day will help you avoid a massive knot by the time you head to sleep. Try a brush with seamless bristles that won't snag strands, such as the Braun Satin Hair paddle brush. (Bonus- the ionic feature on this brush also instantly tames static--another problem that comes up during the colder months!) **An important tip to keep in mind is to start brushing and combing from the ends of the hair and work your way up to the roots.** Start at the roots and you will brush knots into other knots, leaving you with a bigger mess and more breakage!

4. Add some oil! Nothing calms and nourishes the hair like oil treatments; the trick is to pick the correct one to meet your needs! For daytime hydration, argan oil is excellent because the shape of the actual molecules allow it to penetrate into the hair shaft, rather than coating it and leaving a greasy feel. However, if you want to spoil your hair and give it a nice moisture surge, try applying olive oil before bed and rising well in the morning. Coconut oil is great to keep in the shower for both hair and body conditioning. Feeling a bit flaky due to the temperature drop? Tea tree oil is your new best friend. Banish dandruff by applying it to your scalp regularly at night, (if you can't tolerate the smell, try a shampoo that contains it.) The nutrients contained in these natural humectants are great for both the hair and the scalp.

5. Make a mask! You can add any of the above mentioned oils to a mashed up avocado, egg, or mayonnaise - experimenting with combinations of these ingredients is a fun way to whip up an intensely moisturizing "hair smoothie" right in the comfort of your kitchen! Lemon juice, rosemary oil, honey, and plain yogurt are excellent add-ins as well. Leave in for about 30 minutes and rinse well! (Take note--if you decide to use egg or mayo as a base, rinse with tepid or cool water--hot water will cause it to 'cook' in your hair - yuck!)

6. Skip a few shampoos! The less you wash it, the less you will dry it out. Period. STILL haven't tried dry shampoo? This is the time to get on board! Not only will it absorb excess oil, it will give your roots a volume boost and a hip matte, airy texture, like Sienna Miller's in the photo below. (If you prefer to wet your head each time you shower, simply rinse well and apply conditioner to your ends, saving the shampoo for every other or every third day.) Additional incentives to washing less often include longer lasting color and a reduction in heat damage, since you will be able to also skip blow-drying and full on styling!

Stay tuned & stay warm! More holiday and party season inspiration on the way!